Mbappe Scores as Real Madrid Beat Espanyol 2-0 in La Liga

Militao and Mbappe Get the Job Done

It took 22 minutes for the deadlock to break, and when it did, it came from an unlikely source. Centre ,back Eder Militao let fly from well outside the box, his shot arrowing into the top left corner with enough power to rattle the net. You don’t see many defenders score goals quite like that one, the kind that has goalkeeping coaches shaking their heads.

Mbappe wrapped things up early in the second half, grabbing his fifth La Liga goal of the season. The Frenchman picked up a pass from Vinicius Junior and fired past Marko Dmitrovic from distance. It may not have been the prettiest goal, but it did what all good strikers’ goals do, it killed the game stone dead.

“The team showed great intensity and quality today,” Ancelotti said afterward, though he’s probably said something similar after most of Madrid’s wins this season. “Mbappe continues to adapt well to our system and his understanding with the other players is improving every game.”

Bellingham Finally Back in Action

Jude Bellingham made his first appearance of the season as a late substitute, which should come as welcome news for England fans who’ve been wondering when the 21-year-old would return from his summer shoulder surgery. His cameo was brief, but just having him back on the pitch appears to give Ancelotti more tactical flexibility as the fixture list starts to pile up.

Eduardo Camavinga also got some minutes in the closing stages. Both players received decent ovations from the home crowd, though you suspect the Bernabeu faithful were more relieved than ecstatic, these are players they expect to see regularly, not special guests.

Madrid’s Perfect Start Continues

This win keeps Madrid’s record spotless across all competitions this season. Five from five in La Liga, plus they kicked off their Champions League defense with a win over Marseille midweek (where Mbappe scored twice from the penalty spot, in case anyone was still doubting his ability to handle pressure).

Vinicius Junior was back in the starting XI after being rested recently, though the Brazilian still looks like he’s finding his rhythm under Ancelotti’s current setup. He hit the post late on, which probably sums up his season so far, close, but not quite clicking yet. Still, his assist for Mbappe’s goal suggests the understanding between Madrid’s front three is slowly developing.

Espanyol’s Long Wait Goes On

For Espanyol, this was a harsh reminder of just how far they still have to climb. Their last win at the Bernabeu came back in 1996, that’s 28 years of hurt for their traveling fans. They arrived in Madrid sitting third in the early table, which might have given them some hope, but reality hit pretty quickly once the game got going.

“We knew it would be difficult against the best team in the world,” admitted Espanyol manager Luis Garcia, though you wonder if he really believes Madrid are quite that good right now, or if he was just being diplomatic. “We tried to stay compact and look for our chances, but Madrid’s quality made the difference.”

Barcelona Feeling the Heat Already?

With Madrid now five points clear of second-placed Barcelona, Hansi Flick’s side can’t afford many more slip-ups if they want to stay in touch. Their game against Getafe on Sunday suddenly feels more important than it probably should this early in the season.

Whether this Madrid team is actually as good as their perfect record suggests remains to be seen. But with Mbappe settling in and key players returning from injury, they’re certainly making it look easy so far. The real tests may still be ahead, but for now, everything appears to be falling into place for Los Blancos.

AFP